Florida Company Designs and Builds Shipping Container Homes

The Lakeland, Florida-based company, New Generation Builders, uses recycled 8 by 20-foot shipping containers, and transforms them into tiny homes or offices. They specialize in providing sustainable, fully functional homes, though they also take orders for custom builds. Their designs are aimed primarily at customers who are looking for a cabin or beach house to use as a weekend getaway, or a guesthouse to put in the back yard. However, these houses could easily also be used as a permanent residence for a single person or a couple.

According to Steven Sawyer, the owner of New Generation Builders, he uses shipping containers to create homes because they are very versatile and very strong. As he put it, “Once I tie them [shipping containers] down with architectural piling on the four container feet, they are hurricane proof. The architects and engineers tell me they’re even tornado proof. They will not move.”

The tiny home they built for a couple from North Carolina is made from a single 8 by 20 shipping container, which was fitted with a full kitchen, and a bathroom with an indoor and outdoor shower and toilet. The bathroom is housed at one end of the shipping container and separated from the main living area by a 30-inch pocket door. The rest of the shipping container houses the main living area and kitchen, which is equipped with a fridge, sink and cook top, as well as ample storage space.

The living room doubles as a bedroom and features a sofa that transforms into a bed. The container is heated and cooled by a Mitsubishi 9000 BTU wall mounted HVAC unit, while the container home also contains a small fireplace. The living area features a 6-foot sliding glass door that also serves as the main entrance into the house. The couple that commissioned it is living inside this shipping container home full time as they wait for their main residence to be designed and built.

Apart from shipping container homes, New Generation Builders, also build offices, security shacks and storage areas out of shipping containers.

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17 Comments

Lol that’s a little harsh. I think I have spoken to this company before, or someone planning to do the same in Florida. Either way, although I’m biased, its a great way to build an affordable house.

On top of that, this looks like a REASONABLE design done at a REASONABLE price. Everything I see on the internet regarding shipping containers homes is $100k+ ultra-lux homes, which most consumers wouldn’t even think about getting involved with (even though it would cost less than a comparable pre-built house).

There is no mention of price, but I am assuming this contractor charged somewhere around $50k to build this. Doing the project by themselves would have been around $20k-$30k (assuming they can do the work).

What happens to these container homes after their original purpose is served? Are they sold? And if they are, where are they listed? I’d love to purchase one of these container homes! I live in California .

What happens to these container homes after their original purpose is served? Are they sold? And if they are, where are they listed? I’d love to purchase one of these container homes! I live in California .

Do you know who can design and put the whole project together and if so what kind of costs are you looking at for a 2 story?
Any ruff estimated costs are appreciated, as I’m looking for land in South Carolina and would love to do this.
Thank you,
Marc

Do you know that literally THOUSANDS of shipping containers sit inside the USA not being used? Makes sense when you realize that a great deal of our products are manufactured overseas (AND, UNFORTUNATELY, NOt ENOUGH IS GOING BACK…) Bob Villa used to have a video on the advantage of these homes on his website. I ahve not looked in awhile to see if it is still there.

we have surrender to codes our comfort government telling us how to live what is safe is really the problem. they tell how we need certain amount of footage for a living space yet they don’t do anything to the living space of the homeless